Midday Fix: How to save money on Halloween decor and more – WGN in Chicago

According to the National Retail Federation, Halloween spending will reach a whopping 9 billion this year. 175mm Americans plan to participate and will spending $86+ per household on average. And if you have multiple kids and/or live on a popular trick-or-treating block, that spending will be compounded. Rather than going overboard this Halloween, try one of my favorite ways to save money on Halloween:

DIY

Sure, you can buy beautiful Halloween décor, or you can head to a store like crafting destination Michael’s or Michaels.com/Kids and pick up supplies for some fun, family-friendly DIY projects! You and your kids will exercise your creativity, have a great time making them and you can re-use them year after year. These faux pumpkins and wreath are just two examples of the countless, kid-friendly crafty options. I saved myself a fortune just by making these myself! You can also make a teal pumpkin that indicates you are an allergy-friendly Halloween house!

Sugar Free

You probably already rely on Oriental Trading for your budget-friendly party favors and decorations, but in this day and age of allergies, it’s good to have some food-free treats on hand for kids with allergies or kids who prefer toys to treats! I love these Halloween Character Slime Toys ($10 a dozen), Halloween Whistles ($8 for 72) and Wacky Monster Bendables ($14 for 24)!

Hit the Sales

A great basecamp for all the best Halloween sales is deal site, Slickdeals.net. With a community of 10 million users constantly sharing, vetting and voting on deals, Slickdeals is your secret ingredient for saving money on all the snacks, games, and decorations you’ll need. Check out their designated Halloween page or set deal alerts or set deal alerts to be notified about sales on specific items or brands. Download their mobile for quick and easy access to deals, coupons, and alerts!

No sale? Create Your Own

When you’ve got to have that thing that isn’t on sale, create your own sale by shopping with a discounted gift card. GiftCardGranny, who I work for, has thousands of discounted gift cards that allow you to save anywhere from 2-30% on average. For example, right now, they have Hot Topic and Kohl’s gift cards for 14% off and Target for 9% off! Perfect for saving on your Halloween costume.

If You Don’t Want to Leave the House

From décor to candy, you know you can buy almost everything you need at Amazon. But the tricky thing about Amazon is that it’s hard to tell whether or not you are getting the best price (never assume that you are). There’s a nifty tool called Ranktracer, which provides pricing data for thousands of products sold on Amazon, including tons of Halloween-related items. This tool will give you a sense of whether you should buy now or wait, which is perfect because you have a little time before the big day.